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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



LIFE AND SERVICES 



or 



GEN. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 



TOGETHER WITH HIS 



Hdlf llIB so SI[M@H B®IL3I¥AB. 



'To the Hero when his sword 
Has won the battle for the free, 
There is no need of prophet's word, 
That from freemen vfill be heard 
The thanks of millions now, ^nd yet to be«* 



PRINTED AT THE WATCHMAN OFFICE, 

MONTPELIER, VT., 

1836. 



E 3<i2 



WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 



The distinguished soldier, patriot, and statesman, 
who is the subject of this notice, is descended from one 
of the most illustrious families of that mother of states- 
men, Virginia. His father was one of the delegates 
from that commonwealth to, and a leading member of 
the memorable revolutionary congress. When John 
Hancock was elected President of that body, and hes- 
itated, through modesty, to take his seat, Mr. Harrison, 
being a large man, seized Mr. Hancock, who was small, 
and carried him and placed him in the chair ; obser- 
ving, that they would "let Mother Britain know that con- 
gress would have the man she proscribed to preside 
over them." During the revolution he was chairman 
of the committee of foreign affairs, and was great, 
among the great men of that day. In 1783, he was 
appointed Governor of his native state, and was one of 
the most popular Chief Magistrates that ever presided 
over that commonwealth. He died in 1791, leaving 
three son s,, of whom the subject of this short biographi- 
cal notice was the youngest. 

WILLL\M HENRY HARRISON, wa^ born at the 
family seat, called Berkley, twenty-five miles below 
Richmond, on James River, on the 9th of February, 
1773 ; two years before the commencement of the 
American Revolution. His early education was at a 
Grammar School, and afterwards at an Academy in 
Southampton county, and at the College of Hampden 
Sidney. After the completion of his academical stud- 
ies, he was placed by his father in his seventeenth year, 
in the office of Dr. Leiper, a physician of Richmond, 
as a medical student. After remaining there one year, 
he went to Philadelphia for the purpose of completing 
his medical studies. But before he reached the city, 
his father died ; he now resolved to quit the medical 



profession, having entered it, only to gratify his parent. 
Being born and educated in the stormy period of the 
revoUition, the stirring events of that day had made too 
sti'ong an impression upon his ardent mind, to relish the 
routine of a profession. But the small estate, which 
fell to him from his father, made it necessary for him 
to engage in active life. 

His father's standing, character, and public services 
secured him many powerful friends, among whom, were 
Edmund Randolph, Secretary of State, in the admin- 
istration of Gen. Washington : Gen. Henry Lee, and 
Robert Morris, the financier of the revolution. Mr, 
Randolph offered him a place in his office, and Gen. 
Lee proposed to him a commission in the anny. He 
accepted the military offer, and lest his friends should 
disapprove of the choice, attempted to conceal it from 
them, until all was settled. Mr. Morris, however, heard 
of it by chance, and sent for him, in order to dissuade 
him from it. Young Harrison suspected the cause of 
the summons, and having made up his mind to enter 
the army, hastened to the War Office, receiving his 
commission, and then repaired to the house of Mr. Mor- 
ris to receive his advice when too late, to enter the of- 
fice of the Secretary of State. 

He received the commission of Ensign, in the first 
regiment of the United States Artillery, then at Fort 
Washington, the site of the present city of Cincinnati^ 
and immediately set out to join the army, and reached 
it a few days after Gen. St. Clair's memorable defeat. 

He was at that time but nineteen years of age, tall, 
slender, and apparently wholly unsuited, from the ten- 
derness and luxuriousness of his education, to brave 
the storms, encounter the hardships and perils, and 
battle with the beasts and savages of the wilderness. At 
that time the great valley of the Ohio and Mississippi^ 
aov^r filled with millions of civiUzed men, was roamed 
Dver by countless nations of hostile Indians, and the 
mighty rivers, now covered with a hundred steamers. 



were navigated only by the light canoe. The subdueiS 
and humble red man, that has now reluctantly retired 
beyond the Mississippi, then stood in power upon the 
banks of the Ohio, the Muskingum, the Sciota, the Mi- 
ami, the Wabash and the Illinois. Gen. St. Clair's ar- 
my having been defeated and cut to pieces, the whole 
defence of this portion of the frontier devolved upon a 
small body of men. It was just at the beginning of 
winter, and such were the hardships in prospect, in this 
then distant wilderness, surrounded by an exasperated, 
victorious, savage foe, that the stoutest hearts might 
have failed, and the hardiest veteran turned pale. Some 
of his comrades advised the youthful, and unhardened 
ensign to resign his commission and take to civil life^ 
But young Harrison's was not a spirit to recoil at dan- 
ger. The same persevering energy and boldness of 
character, that distinguished him in after times, was here 
displayed in his contempt of inglorious ease, and love of 
arduous enterprise. The hrst duty confided to him, 
was to guard certain pack-horses, bound to Fort Ham- 
ilton. His duty was peculiarly uncomfortable, perilous 
and difficult, leading to great exposure night and day, 
and calling for much sagacity, and far more skill than 
would be looked for in a mere stripling. This duty he 
performed in a manner, which proved that his abilities 
were equal to his spirit, and called forth the thanks of 
Gen. St. Clair. 

At this time intemperance destroyed a large propor- 
tion of the young men, that entered the army. The 
hardships and fatigues to which they were exposed, and 
above all the fashionable customs of the day, reduced 
at last to the slavery of the bowl, many of the finest 
young men that entered the service. I3ut our young 
ensign, strengthened by the advice of Gen. Wilkinson, 
who succeeded St. Clair, in 1792, resisted temptation, 
and laid the foundation of those habits of temperance, 
which have characterised him through a long life, and 
.which undoubtedly enabled him, as, much as, any other 

1* 



6 

cause, to undergo the privations of a frontier warfare, 
amid the heats of summer, and the frosts of winter, m 
the swamps and impenetrable wilderness of the north- 
west. 

In 1792, he was promoted to the office of Lieuteiw 
ant, and in 1793, joined the army of Gen. Wayne. He 
was shortly after appointed Aid-de-camp, to that gal- 
lant commander. He acted in this capacity, in the 
battle of the twentieth of August, upon the Maumee, 
which resulted in the decisive victory over the savages ; 
and his coolness, intrepidity and bravery, were such as 
to call forth from Gen. Wayne the strongest express- 
ions of applause. 

In 1795, he was raised to the post of Captain, and 
on the departure of Gen. Wayne for the East, was en- 
trusted with the command of Fort Washington. An 
end being put to the Indian war by the victory of 
Wayne, Captain Harrison married the daughter of John 
Cleves Symmes, the well known purchaser of the Mi- 
ami country, and in 1797 left the army and was appoin- 
ted Secretary of the Northwestern Territory. In 1799> 
he was elected as a delegate to Congress from this Ter- 
ritory, which then comprised Ohio, Indiana, Illinois^ 
Michigan, and the whole country north of the Ohio, 
and east of the Mississippi rivers. While he was ia 
Congress, he originated the present system of land sales, 
which has been ot immense benefit to the whole country. 

When Ohio was made a state, Mr. Harrison was ap- 
pointed Governor of Indiana, and removed to Vincennes 
in 1801. He continued Governor until 1812, and was 
then appointed by Mr. Madison, Commander-in-Chief 
of the Northwestern Army. 

The following eloquent and able appeal to the patri- 
otism of the West and the whole Union shows the prin- 
ciples, the talents and patriotic devotion to country, of 
the man, who afterwards won the title of the Washing- 
ton of the West. 



Extract of Gov. Harrison^ s Speech, while Governor of lit" 

diana, to the Legislature of that State, delivered on 

the I8th of August, 1807. 

**I should fail to do justice to my feelings, and per- 
haps disappoint your expectations, gentlemen, should I 
neglect, on this occasion, to mention a subject which 
has greatly agitated our country, and "called forth the 
warmest expressions of patriotic ardor from every class 
of its citizens. 

"The United States, true to those principles which 
ought to prevail in every Republic, preferring happiness 
to splendor, and safety to glory, have endeavored to ab- 
stract themselves from the entangling politics of Europe^ 
and, by observing the most perfect neutrality to keep 
clear of all those bloody wars, which have so long des- 
olated the finest quarter of the globe. The justice and 
impartiality of her conduct towards the belligerants, 
have not however, been reciprocated ; and from one of 
those powers, insult and injury have followed each oth- 
er in quick succession, and promised satisfaction been 
anticipated by further outrage. The ships of our mer- 
chants, pursuing a legal commerce upon that ocean to 
which all have an equal right, have been captured and 
plundered, and their men impressed to serve a foreign 
tyrant, and shed their blood in battles, in which they 
have no interest. For these aggressions, our govern- 
ment, without mingling with its politics those passions 
which agitate the breasts of monarchs and which pro- 
duce the greater part of those wars which overwhelm 
their unhappy subjects in misery and ruin, have deman- 
ded redress but in vain. Still calculating, however, up- 
on the existence of a better disposition, on the part of a 
power which had injured us, that last resort, which is lit- 
erally a *'trial of who can do the other the most harm,'' 
was deprecated by the people as well as by the Gov- 
ernment ; and, so long as there remained the most dis- 
tant hope of an amicable adjustment, argument and ne- 
gotiation were thought preferable to war. This delu-^ 



8 



sion has, however, passed away, and given place to thet 
opinion that moderation and forbearance, have been 
mistaken for timidity and fear. Some nations, like 
some mdividuals, will not profit by the lessons of expe- 
rience. Great Britain might have remembered that the 
arms of America were not palsied by the previous use 
of remonstrances. A bhnd fatuity hurries her on to 
that destruction which America had no wish to accele- 
rate ; and, an act of tyranny and injustice, surpassing 
any thing that can be found even in the history of her 
depredations upon neutrals, has converted a useful friend 
into a foe, able to punish her for her multiplied aggres- 
sions. The blood rises in my cheek, when I reflect on 
the humiliating, the disgraceful scene of the crew of an 
American ship of war, mustered on its own decks by a 
British Lieutenant for the purpose of selecting the inno- 
cent victims of British tyranny. But an act of this kind 
was perhaps necessary to convince all our fellow.citi- 
zens, that they had nothing to expect from British gen- 
erosity or justice, when they were opposed to British 
interests. The unheard of outrage has made a deep 
impression upon the Americaa mind. Citizens of eve- 
ry political denomination are rallying around the stan- 
dard of their country ; and pledging their lives and for- 
tunes in support of their rights. 

"I should do injustice to the well known patriotism 
of our territory, to suppose that either yourselves or 
your constituents, gentlemen, felt less on this interest- 
ing occasion than the rest of your countrymen. 

"We are, from our situation, peculiarly interested in 
the contest which is likely to ensue ; for who does not 
know that the tomahawk and scalping knife of the sav- 
age are always employed as the instruments of British 
vengeance. At this moment, fellow-citizens, as I sin- 
cerely believe, their agents are organizing a combina- 
tion amongst the Indians within our limits for the pur- 
pose of assassination and murder. And if these, their 
worthy allies, are not let loose to slaughter our women 



id chiidreu it will not proceed from the humanity and 
icrcy of a nation which vainly boasts of her attain- 
icnts in every art and science. 

"At this important crisis hut one sentiment should 
limate the breast of every true American : disi-egard- 
ig- every personal consideration, he should tliink only 
r the tie which binds him to his country ; confiding- in 
le wisdom and firmness of his government, he should 
aticntly wait the signal which calls him to the field, 
[ow deep the humiliation, how lasting the disgrace, how 
ijurious to the cause of republicanism, should the blood 
four murdered fellow-citizens remain unsatisfied or 
m-evenged. But it cannot be. Americans must prize 
»o highly their dear bought rights, tamely to surrender 
lem to the proud nation from which they were wres- 
sd. A beneficent and discriminating Providence will 
lake us the objects of its peculiar care. Another 
i^ashington will arise to lead our armies to victory and 
lory, and the tyrants of the world will be taught the 
seful lessons that a nation of freemen are not to be in- 
ired with impunity." 

Thus spoke the patiioi HARRISON, the very man 
ho was called by the country to lead our armies to 
ctory and glory. 

Before his appointment of Major General as Gover- 
or of Indiana, he commanded in person the troops rai- 
id for the defence of the frontiers and to avenge the 
Lidian murders, which had been committed by British 
istigation, upon the inhabitants of our western settle- 
lents. AVhen Governor, he fought and gained the 
loody battle of Tippecanoe, upon the Wabash. 

Tecumseh, and his brother the Prophet, had the ad- 
ress to bring about a combination of several Indian 
nbes against the United States. A number of outra- 
es had been perpetrated, and the most shocking mur- 
ers committed. Governor Harrison at the head of 
le Indiana militia, a small body of the United States 
oops, and a detachment of Kentucky militia and voj" 



10 

unteers, marched to the Prophet's town upon the Wa- 
bash, in order to break up the Indian league, or chas- 
tise the savages into submission. The Shawanoe 
Prophet, had collected a large number of warriors, ar- 
med with British muskets, and supplied with British 
powder, and inspired them with a belief of the certain 
conquest of the whites. By a rapid march, and some- 
what circuitous route. Gov. Harrison suddenly appear- 
ed before the Prophet's town, and encamped upon the 
Tippecanoe, a tributary of the Wabash, on the sixth of 
November, 1811. The troops were ordered to sleep 
upon their arms, and arrangements made in case of an 
attack in the night. At half past 4 o'clock in the mor- 
ning of the 7th, Governor Harrison, had arisen, and in 
two minutes more, a signal would have been given for 
the whole army to rise and form. At that moment the 
gnard were killed by arrows, and the savages headed by 
the Prophet himself, rushed so furiously to the attack, 
with tremendous yells, that some of them entered the 
camp, before many of our men could get out of their 
tents. The troops were quickly formed, and Governor 
Harrison, immediately, in person, repaired to the point 
of attack, and ordered two companies to the support of 
tlie assailed whose line had become broken. The In- 
dians being repulsed in this quarter, commenced a hea- 
vy fire upon the left of the front line of Infantry under 
the command of Major Floyd. In a moment Govern- 
or Harrison threw himself at their head, and perceiving 
that the heaviest fire proceeded from some trees about 
twenty yards in front, ordered Major Davies, a distin- 
guished lawyer and orator who volunteered for the ex- 
pedition, to dissolve them with his dragoons. Major 
Davies gallantly advanced to the attack, but he was 
mortally wounded, and his party driven back. Capt. 
Snelling, at the head of his company, immediately mo- 
ved forward, when they were dislodged, and driven from 
their advantageous position. The attack then became 
general along the left flank, the whole front, the right 



11 

flank and part of the rear line, and lasted until aboni 
day-break, amid deafening yells and terrible carnage. 
Governor Harrison went along the lines, encouraging 
the troops to hold out until da3^1ight, to keep the lines 
entire, when a general and effectual charge would be 
made. Foreseeing that the enemy would make the 
last efforts upon the flanks, reinforced the right and left, 
and gave orders for the charge as soon as the morning 
appeared. As was anticipated, the Indians made, just 
at day-break, a desperate assault upon the right and 
left flanks, with a savage fury, uncommon even with 
them. The judgment and foresight of the gallant Har- 
rison had prepared the troops for their reception at these 
points. Immediately after the assault, our troops were 
ordered to charge, when the Indians were routed with 
great slaughter, being driven at the point of the bayon- 
et, by the infantry, and pursued by the dragoons into 
a marsh, where they could not be followed. In this 
battle, which resulted in a decisive victory over a sav- 
age foe, nearly two hundred of our brave troops were 
either killed or wounded. Gov. Harrison, himself, was 
shot through the hat, and slightly wounded in his head. 
The Indians suffered still more ; and many of the tribes, 
disappointed at the result, left the fortunes of the Sha- 
wanoe Prophet. 

The Legislatures of Indiana and Kentucky, by the 
following, showed how much the services of this patriot 
were appreciated at the time. 

The following is an extract from a communication of Gen. 

W. Johnson,^ io his Excellency, William Henry* 

Harrison, Governor and Commander-in-Chief 

in and over the Indiana Territonj, JVov. 1811. 

"Sir: — The House of Representatives of the India- 
na Territory, in their own name, and in behalf of their 
constituents, most cordially reciprocate the congratula- 
tions of your Excellency on the GLORIOUS RESULT 
of the late sanguinary conflict with the Shawanoe Pro- 
phet, and the tribes of Indians confederated with him ; 



12 

and when we see displayed in behalf of our country, 
not only the consummate abilities of the genera], 
but the HEROISM of the man ; and when we take into 
view the benefits which must result to our country, for 
those exertions, we cannot, for a moment, withhold the 
meed of our applause." 

The following resolution passed the Kentucky Legislature^ 
January 7, 1812. 

''Resolved, By the Senate and House of the State of 
Kentucky, that in the late campaign against the In- 
dians upon the Wabash, Gov. William Henry Har- 
rison has behaved like a Hero, a Patriot, and a Gen- 
eral ; and that for his cool, deliberate, skillful, and gal- 
lant conduct in the battle of Tippecanoe, he well de- 
serves the warmest thanks of his country and the na- 
tion." 

After this battle. Governor Harrison issued his proc- 
lamation for volunteers, and in a few days, more men 
flocked to his standard than were wanted, and about 
1200 from Kentucky returned home, but held them- 
selves in readiness to march at a moment's warning. — 
At the call of their beloved HARRISON, says a wri- 
ter at the time, great numbers of mounted Riflemen, 
j oined him for a term of forty days, and found them- 
selves with provisions. 

It was the original design of the Government, that 
General Winchester, a respectable officer and soldier 
of the Revolution, should have the command of the 
Northwestern Army. In consequence of which, Gov. 
Harrison, on his arrival at Fort Wayne, took leave of 
the army, in an affectionate manner, and set out for 
Indiana Territory, with a body of troops, to break up 
the settlements of the hostile savages. But President 
Madison, seeing the confidence the western people re- 
posed in Governor Harrison, appointed him Comman- 
der-in-Chief— and his commission reached him a few 
days after bis resignation to Gen. Winchester. From 
thence commenced one of the most difficult, importan, 



15 

and finally successful scenes of operation, during the 
kte war. 

In the spring of 1813, he commanded the army, and 
defended Fort Meigs upon the Maumee, successfully 
against a large British and Indian force, with a garrison, 
wholly inadequate to the duty, and with a small supply 
of balls, which fact he kept secret. This defence was 
amongst the most striking events of the war of 1812, 
and inspired the Americans with confidence, from one 
end of the Union to the other. Niles in his Register, 
in giving an account of the defence, says, "We now 
begin to see the fruition of our hopes in the gallant ex- 
ertions of the western people and their beloved chieftain 
HARRISON, whose official despatch, will warm the 
heart of every ^^merican.^^ A series of disasters on the 
Canadian frontier, and the clamor of a violent and un- 
principled opposition had caused some of the best friends 
of the country to begin to fear the result. But the gal- 
lant defence of Fort Meigs by Harrison, turned back 
the tide of war, loosened the bonds of that unholy alli- 
ance between the British and the Indians, and gave 
hope and vigor to the armies of the Republic. Gen. 
Proctor, the commander of the British forces, fled, and 
2000 of his Indian allies left the British service, in a 
state of dissatisfaction at the result. 

On the 5th of October, he fought the glorious and 
memorable battle of the Thames, which drove the ene- 
my from the North Western Territory, and gave secu- 
rity to the inhabitants of the western frontiers. The 
British and Indians under the command of Gen. Proc- 
tor and Tecumseh, had taken up a strong position be- 
tween the River Thames on one side and a swamp on 
the other — a beach forest lay in front between the swamp 
and the river, of about 250 yards in width. In a few 
moments Gen. Harrison arranged the order of battle, 
and by a manoeuvre never before tried, routed the Brit- 
ish by charging them through the centre of his lines, 
with his mounted riflemen ; General Trotter's brigade 

2 



14 

of 500 men formed the front line, his right upon the 
centre and his left upon the swamp. Gen. King's hrig* 
ade, a second line 150 yards in the rear of Trotter j 
and Gc;^. Chiles' as a corps of reserve in the rear of it 
These brigades were put under the command of Gen. 
Henry. Gen. Desha's division was formed between 
Gen. Trotter and the River Thames. He then direc- 
ted Col. Johnson's regiment of mounted riflemen to be 
formed in front of all, in two lines opposite the enemy, 
and upon the advance of the infantry, to take ground 
to the left, and forming upon the flank, to endeavor to 
turn the right of the Indians. A moment's reflection 
convinced Gen. Harrison, that, from the thickness of 
the woods, and the swampiness of the ground, they 
would be rendered useless on horseback. There was 
no time to dismount and place their horses in security. 
He therefore determined to break the British lines, at 
once, by a charge of the mounted infantry. The meas- 
ure was not sanctioned by any precedent ; but knowing 
the character of the back-woodsmen, and that a musket 
or rifle was no impediment to them on horseback, he was 
persuaded that the enemy would be quite unprepared 
for the shock, and could not resist it. He, therefore, 
directed that the mounted regiment should be drawn up 
in close column, and charge, with rifles, at full speed, 
upon the enemy as soon as they had delivered their first 
fire. The venerable Gov. Shelby, at the age of sixty- 
six, was posted to command the wing near the river, 
while Gen. Harrison placed himself at the head of the 
front line of infantry,'to direct the movements of the 
cavalry and give them the necessary support. Com- 
modore Perry, the hero of Lake Erie, and Brig. Gen. 
Cass, now Secretary of War, volunteered as Aid-de- 
camps to Gen. Harrison, and assisted him in the exe- 
cution of his orders. The army had moved on in this 
order but a short distance, when the mounted men re- 
ceived the fire of the British line, and were ordered to 
charge. The horses in front recoiled at the fire of the 



15 

enemy. Another fire came from the British line. The 
whole American column moved vigorously to the at- 
tack — the mounted riflemen charged with impetuosity, 
and in a moment the American column broke through 
the enemy with irresistible force. The British officers 
seeing no hopes of reducing their broken ranks to or- 
der, and the mounted men wheeling upon them and 
pouring in a destructive fire, surrendered. Upon the 
left the contest was more severe with the Indians. Col. 
Johnson commanded on that flank of his regiment, and 
received and returned a tremendous fire. The Indians 
also attacked the right, but Gov. Shelby brought up a 
regiment to its support, and the enemy receiving a se- 
vere fire on the front by the division under General 
Harrison in person, retreated with precipitation. The 
whole British force was taken prisoners ; Gen. Proctor, 
with a few others, alone escaping by the fleetness of 
■.heir horses. Such is a brief account of Harrison's 
victory on the banks of the Thames. It drove the ene- 
ny from our borders in the west, and restored a prov- 
ace lost by the treachery of Hull. 

After the war. Gen. Harrison retired from the army 
o his residence a few miles below Cincinnati, upon the 
)anks of the Ohio. Here, like Cincinnatus, he culti- 
t^ated his farm for his support, beloved by his friends 
md honored by his country. But he was not long suf- 
fered to remain in private life. 

He was elected to represent the congressional dis- 
trict composed of Hamilton county and the city of Cin- 
cinnati in the councils of the nation, in 1816 ; and 
while there, endeavored to call the attention of the na- 
'ional legislature to a better organization of the militia. 
Considering the militia the only real republican de- 
fence of the nation against foreign invasion and domes- 
:ic insurrection, he advocated a plan of encouragement 
calculated to raise this right arm of national strength in 
public estimation. But the nation was not then pre- 
pared to make the reform. Upon the news of the death 



16 

oi the brave Kosciusko, the companion of WashiHgtotf 
in the revolution, and the hero who fell covered with 
wounds, for Polish liberty ; he offered a resolution of 
respect to his memory, and supported his resolution in 
a beautiful and classical speech, which is recorded in 
Nile's Reg-ister for 1817, and which does great credit 
to him as a speaker. At the end of his congressional 
term he declined a re-election, and retired again to his 
farm. But in 1822, he was elected to represent the 
State of Ohio in the Senate of the United States, and 
continued in that body until 1828, where he fully sus- 
tained his high reputation. Coming into Congress at 
the close of the war and continuing, either in the 
House or the Senate, about eight years, he assisted to 
bring the country into a train of measures which resto- 
red the finances, which had become distracted during 
the contest with Great Britain, built up our domestic 
industry, and commenced that system of internal im- 
provement which has in so short a period, changed the 
very face of our country. 

In 1828 and 1829, he represented the country, as 
Minister to the Republic of Colombia, and since his 
return, has retired to his residence upon the banks of 
the Ohio, and literally, like the illustrious Roman, gone 
back to his plough, and from the industry of his own 
hands, supported a large family, which chance and mis- 
fortune have made dependant upon him. He is repre- 
sented as one of the most practical farmers in Hamiltoa 
County. 

Such are the outlines of Gen. Harrison's services. — 
The details of it may be found in the history of the 
country. He rose from his own merit, his activity, his 
fearlessness, his integrity, step by step to one of the 
highest stations in the army, to the highest civil trusts, 
and has always filled every station with dignity, ability 
and success. 

Although lightly made, and effeminate in appearance 
when young, yet he strengthened by hardships, an(^ 



17 

hardened in the service. He has borne more hardships 
than most soldiers that served under him. He never 
slept more than four or live hours when near an enemy. 
During the siege of Fort Meigs, which continued a week, 
he had only one hour's sleep each night, and some- 
times not even that. During his last campaign, which 
terminated in the victory of the Thames, his bedding 
was a single blanket fastened over his saddle, and even 
this he gave up to a wounded officer. Although pos- 
sessed of an ardent temperament and great decision of 
character, he is generous, kind, and never revengeful. 
He is proverbially strict, prompt and exact in all his 
public and private duties. He was beloved by his sol- 
diers ; and where he resides, has, from the earUeet 
times, possessed great popularity. As a soldier, he was 
brave, vigilant, prudent and successful ; as a statesman, 
he has been sagacious, useful, and wise ; in private life, 
respected and beloved. HIS MORAL CHARACTER 
IS WITHOUT REPROACH. Although a brave and 
successful commander, no man can accuse /dm of one dis- 
obedience to the laws, or of one violation of the constitution 
of his cowitry. He possesses the true bravery of the 
school of Washington, for cruelty and violence never 
found a place in his character. His services have been 
many, his sufferings great, and verily he deserves the 
gratitude of his countrymen. Such is an imperfect 
sketch of the public services of that patriot and states- 
man, Gen. WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 

€€€»»^ 

LETTER 

•^Mdressed by WILLIAM H. IMRRISOJ^, to SI-^ 

MOK BOLIVAR, President Liberator of Colombia, 
when he was about to assume Despotic Power. 

Bogota, 27th September, 1829. 
Sir, — If there is any thing in the style, the matter, 

2* 



18 

or the object of this letter, which is calculated to give 
offence to your Excellency, I am persuaded you will 
readily forgive it, when you reflect on the motives which 
induced me to write it. An old soldier could possess 
no feelings but those of the kindest character, towards 
one who has shed so much lustre on the profession of 
arms ; nor can a citizen of the country of Washing-ton 
cease to wish that, in Bolivar, the world might behold 
another instance of the highest military attainments, 
united with the purest patriotism, and the greatest ca- 
pacity for civil Government. 

Such, sir, have been the fond hopes, not only of the 
People of the United States, but of the friends of liber- 
ty throughout the world. I will not say that your Ex- 
cellency has formed projects to defeat these hopes. 
But, there is no doubt, that they have not only been 
formed, but are, at this moment, in progress to maturi- 
ty, and openly avowed by those who possess your en- 
tire confidence. I will not attribute to these men im- 
pure motives ; but can they be disinterested advisers 1 
Are they not the very persons who will gain most by 
the proposed change 1 who will, indeed, gain all that is 
to be gained, without furnishing any part of the equiv- 
alent 1 That that, the price of their future wealth and 
honors, is to be furnished exclusively by yourself? 
And of what does it consist ? Your great character. 
Such a one, that, if a man were wise, and possessed 
of the Empire of the Caesars, in its best days, he would 
give all to obtain. Are you prepared to make this sac- 
rifice, for such an object ] 

I am persuaded that those who advocate these meas^ 
ures, have never dared to induce you to adopt them, by 
any argument founded on your personal interests ; ar^ 
that to succeed, it would be necessary to convince you 
that no other course remained, to save the country from 
anarchy. This is the question, then, to be examined. 

Does the history of this country, since the adoption 
of the Constitution, really exhibit unequivocal evi-^ 



11^ 

dence that the People are unfit to be free 1 Is the eZ" 
ploded opinion of a European Philosopher, of the last 
age, that, "in the new hemisphere, man is a degraded 
being," to be renewed, supported by the example of 
Colombia ? The proofs should, indeed be strong, to 
induce an American to adopt an opinion so humiliating. 

Feeling always a deep interest in the success of th& 
Revolutions in the late Spanish America, I have never 
been an inattentive observer of events, pending, and 
posterior to the achievement of its independence. In 
these events, I search, in vain, for a single fact to show 
that, in Colombia, at least, the state of society is unsuit- 
ed to the adoption of a free Government. Will it be 
said that a free Government did exist, but, being found 
inadequate to the objects for which it had been institu- 
ted, it had been superceded by one of a different char- 
acter with the concurrence of the majority of the Peo- 
ple. 

It is the most difficult thing in the world for me to 
believe that a People in the possession of their rights, 
as freemen, would ever be willing to surrender them, 
and submit themselves, to the will of a master. If any 
such instances are on record, the power thus transfer- 
red has been in a moment of extreme. pubhc danger, 
and, then limited to a very short period. I do not think 
that it is by any means certain, that the majority of the 
French People, favored the elevation of Napoleon to 
the throne of France. But, if it were so, how differ- 
ent were the ciicumstances of that country, from those 
of Colombia, when the Constitution of Concuta was o- 
verthrown. At the period of the elevation of Napoleon 
to the first Consulate, all the powers of Europe were 
the open or secret enemies of France — civil war raged 
within her borders ; the hereditary king possessed ma- 
ny partisans in every province ; the People, betrayed 
by the factions which murdered and succeeded each 
other, had imbibed a portion of their ferocity, and eve- 
Tj town and village, witnessed the indiscriminate slaugh^ 



20 



ter of both men and women, of all parties and princi- 
ples. Does the history of Colombia, since the expul- 
sion of the Spaniards, present any parallel to these 
scenes ? Her frontiers have been never seriously men- 
aced — no civil war has raged — not a portion of her for- 
mer Government was to be found in the whole extent 
of her territory — no factions contended with each oth- 
er for the possession of power ; the Executive Gov- 
ernment remained in the hands of those to whom it had 
been committed by the People, in a fair election. In 
fact, no People ever passed from under the yoke of a 
despotic Government, to the enjoyment of entire free- 
dom, with less disposition to abuse their newly acquired 
power, than those of Colombia. They submitted, in- 
deed, to a continuance of some of the most arbitrary 
and unjust features which distinguished the former Gov- 
ernment, if there was any disposition on the part of 
the great mass of the People, to effect any change in 
the existing order of things ; if the Colombians act 
from the same motives and upon the same principles 
which govern mankind elsewhere, and in all ages, they 
would have desired to take from the Government a part 
of the power, which, in their inexperience, they had 
confided to it. The monopoly of certain articles of ag- 
ricultural produce, and the oppressive duty of the Al- 
cavala, might have been tolerated, until the last of their 
tyrants were driven from the country. But when peace 
was restored, when not one enemy remained within its 
borders, it might reasonably have been supposed that 
the People would have desired to abolish these remains 
of arbitrary Government, and substitute for them some 
tax more equal and accordant with republican princi- 
ples. 

On the contrary, it is pretended, that they had be- 
come enamored with these despotic measures, and so 
disgusted with the freedom they did enjoy, that they 
-were more than willing to commit their destinies to the 



^dhcontrolled will of your Excellency. Let me assui'S 
you, sir, that these assertions will gain no credit with 
the present generation, or with posterity. They wiU 
demand the facts, which had induced a People, by no 
means deficient in intelligence, so soon to abandon the 
principles for which they had so gallantly fought, and 
tamely surrender that liberty, which had been ob- 
tained at the expense of so much blood. And what 
facts can be produced ? It cannot be said that life and 
property were not as well protected, under the Repub- 
lican Government, as they have ever been ; nor that 
there existed any opposition to the Constitution and 
law, too strong for the ordinary powers of the Govern- 
ment to put down. 

If the insurrection of General Paez, in Venezuelaj is 
adduced, I would ask, by what means was he reduced 
to obedience 1 Your Excellency, the legitimate head 
•f the Republic, appeared, and, in a moment, all oppo*- 
sition ceased, and Venezuela was restored to the Re- 
public. But, it is said, that this was effected by your 
personal influence, or the dread of your military talent, 
and that, to keep General Paez, and other ambitious 
chiefs, from dismembering the Republic, it was neces- 
sary to invest your Excellency with the extraordinary 
powers you possess. There would be some reason in 
this, if you had refused to act without these powers ; 
or having acted, as you did, you had been unable to 
accomplish any thing without them. But you succee- 
ded, completely, and there can be no possible reason 
assigned, why you would not have succeeded, with the 
same means, against any future attempt of General Pa- 
ez, or any other General. 

There appears, however, to be one sentiment, in 
which all parties unite ; that is, that as matters now 
stand, you alone can save the country from ruin, at 
'least, from nmch calamity. They differ, however, ve- 
ry widely, as to the measures to be taken to put your 
Excellency in the way to render this important service. 



The lesser, and more interested party, is for placing tho 
Government in your hands for life ; either with your 
present title, or with one which it must be confessed, 
better accords with the nature of the powers to be ex- 
ercised. If they adopt the less offensive title, and if 
they weave into their system some apparent check to 
your will, it is only for the purpose of masking, in some 
degree, their real object ; which is nothing short of the 
establishment of a despotism. The plea of necessity, 
that eternal argument of all conspirators, ancient or 
modern, against the rights of mankind, will be resorted 
to, to induce you to accede to their measures ; and the 
unsettled state of the country, which has been design- 
edly produced by them, will be adduced as evidence of 
that necessity. 

There is but one way for your Excellency to escape 
from the snares which have been so artfully laid to en- 
trap you, and that is, to stop short in the course which, 
unfortunately, has been already commenced. Every 
step you advance, under the influence of such councils, 
will make retreat more difficult, until it will become im- 
practicable. You will be told that the intention is only 
to vest you with authority to correct what is wrong in 
the Administration, and to put down the factions, and, 
that, when the country once enjoys tranquility, the 
Government may be restored to the People. Delusive 
will be the hopes of those who rely upon this declara- 
tion. The promised hour of tranquility will never ar- 
rive. If events tended to produce it, they would be 
counteracted by the Government itself. It was a 
strong remark of a former President of the United 
States, that, "Sooner will the lover be contented with 
the first smiles of his mistress, than a Government cease 
to endeavor to preserve and extend its powers." With 
whatever reluctance your Excellency may commence 
the career ; with whatever disposition to abandon it 
when the objects for which it was commenced have 
been obtained ; when once fairly entered, you will be 



borne along by the irresistible force of pride, habit o'' 
command, and need, for self-preservation ; and it wil 
be impossible to recede. 

But, it is said, that it is for the benefit of the People 
that the proposed change is to be made ; and that by 
your talents and influence, alone, aided by unlimited 
power, the ambitious chiefs in the different departments 
are to be restrained, and the integrity of the republic 
preserved. I have said, and 1 most sincerely believe, 
that, from the state into which the country has been 
brought, that you alone can preserve it from the horror? 
of anarchy. But I cannot conceive that any extraor- 
dinary powers are necessary. The authority to set 
that the laws are executed ; to call out the strength ol 
the country to enforce their execution, is all that is re- 
quired, and is what is possessed by the Chief Magistrate 
of the United States, and of every other Republic ; and 
is what was confided to the Executive, by the Consti- 
tion of Cucuta. Would your talents or your energies 
be impaired in the council, or the field, or your influ- 
ence lessened, when acting as head of a Republic 1 ^ 

I propose to examine, very briefly, the results which 
are likely to flow from the proposed change of govern- 
ment : 1st, in relation to the country ; and, 2d, to your- 
self, personally. Is the tranquility of the country to be 
secured by it ? Is it possible for your Excellency to 
believe, that when the mask has been thrown off, and 
the people discover that a despotic government has been 
fixed upon them, that they will quietly submit to it ? 
Will they forget the pass word which, like the cross of 
fire, was the signal for rallying to oppose their former 
tyrants 1 ^\'ill the virgins, at your bidding, cease tc 
chaunt the songs of Liberty, which so lately animatec 
the youth to victory ? Was the patriotic blood of Co- 
lombia all expended in the fields of Nargas, B&yacaU, 
and Carebobo '? The schools may cease to enforce 
upon their pupils the love of country, drawn from the 
examples of Cato and the Bruti, Ilarmodius and Aris- 



u 

togitiD, but the glorious example of patriotic devotiofty 
^exhibited in your own Hacienda, will supply their 
place. Depend on it, sir, that the moment which shall 
announce the continuance of arbitrary power in your 
hands will be the commencement of commotions which 
will require all your talents and energies to suppress. 
You may succeed. The disciplined army, at your dis- 
posal may be too powerful for an unarmed, undisciplin- 
ed, and scattered population ; but one unsuccessful ef- 
fort will not content them, and your feelings will be 
eternally racked by being obliged to make war upon 
those who have been accustomed to call you their fa- 
ther, and to invoke blessings on your head, and for no 
cause but their adherence to principles which you your- 
self had taught them to regard more than their lives. 

If by the strong government which the advocates for 
the proposed change so strenuously recommend, one 
without responsibility is intended, which may put men 
to death, and immure them in dungeons, without trial, 
and one where the army is every thing, and the people 
nothing, I must say, that, if the tranquility of Colombia 
is to be preserved in this way, the widest anarchy would 
be preferable. Out of that anarchy a better govern- 
ment might arise ; but the chains of military despotism 
once fastened upon a nation, ages might pass away be* 
fore they could be shaken off. 

But I contend that the strongest of governments is 
that which is most free. We consider that of the Uni- 
ted States as the strongest, precisely, because it is the 
most free. It possesses the faculties, equally to pro- 
tect itself from foreign force or internal convulsion. In 
both, it has been sufficiently tried. In no country upon 
earth, would an armed opposition to the laws be sooner 
or more effectually put down. Not so much by the 
terrors of the guillotine and the gibbet, as from the arou- 
sed determination of the nation, exhibiting their strength, 
and convincing the factious that their cause was hope- 
less. No, sir, depend upon it, that the possession ci 



^5 

arbitrary power, by the government of Colombia, will 
not be the means of securing its tranquility ; nor will 
the danger of disturbances solely arise from the opposi- 
tion of the People. The power, and military force 
which it will be necessary to put into the hands of the 
Governors of the distant provinces, added to the nature 
of the country, will continually present to those officers 
the temptation, and the means of revolt. 

Will the proposed change restore prosperity to the 
country 1 With the best intentions to do so, will you 
be able to recall commerce to its shores and give new 
life to the drooping state of agriculture 1 The cause of 
the constant decline, in these great interests, cannot be 
mistaken. It arises from the fewness of those who la- 
bor, and the nunaber of those who are to be supported 
by that labor. To support a swarm of luxurious and 
idle monks, and an army greatly disproportioned to the 
resources of the country, with a body of officers, in a 
tenfold degree disproportioned to the army, every branch 
of industry is oppressed with burdens which deprive the 
ingenious man of the profits of his ingenuity, and the 
laborer of his reward. To satisfy the constant and 
pressing demands which are made upon it, the Treas* 
ury seizes upon every thing within its grasp — destroy- 
ing the very germ of future prosperity. Is there any 
prospect that these evils will cease with the proposed 
change ? Can the army be dispensed with t — Will the 
influence of the monks be no longer necessary. Be- 
lieve me, sir, that the support which the government 
derives from both these sources, will be more than ev- 
€r requisite. 

But the most important inquiry is, the effect which 
this strong government is to have upon the people them- 
selves. Will it tend to improve and elevate their char- 
acter, and fit them for the freedom which it is preten- 
ded is ultimately to be bestowed upon them? The 
question has been answered from the age of Homer. 
Man does not,learn under oppression those noble qualitiei 

3 



26 

and feelings which fit him for the enjoyment of Hber- 
ty — Nor is despotism the proper school in which to ac- 
quire the knowledge of the principles of Republican 
government. A government whose revenues are deri- 
ved from diverting the very sources of wealth from its 
subjects, will not find the means of improving the mor- 
als and enlightening the minds of the youth, by suppor- 
ting systems of liberal education ; and if it could, it 
would not. 

In relation to the efi'ect which this investment of pow- 
er is to have upon your happiness and your fame, will 
the pomp and glitter of a court, and the flattery of ve- 
nal courtiers reward you for the troubles and anxieties 
attendant upon the exercise of sovereignty, every where 
and those which flow from your peculiar situation ? Or 
power, supported by the bayonet, for that willing hom- 
age which you were wont to receive from your fellow- 
citizens ? The groans of a dissatisfied and oppressed 
people will penetrate the inmost recesses of your pal- 
ace, and you will be tortured by the reflection, that 
you no longer possess that place in their affections, which 
was once your pride and boast, and which would have 
been your solace under every reverse of fortune. Un- 
supported by the people ; your authority can be main- 
tained, only by the terrors of the sword and the scaf- 
fold. And have these ever been successful under sim- 
ilar circumstances ? Blood may smother, for a period, 
but can never extinguish the fire of liberty, which you 
have contributed so much to kindle in the bosom of 
every Colombian. 

I will not urge as an argument, the personal dangers 
to which you will be exposed. But I will ask if you 
could enjoy life, which would be preserved by the con- 
stant execution of so many human beings — your coun- 
trymen — your former friends and almost your worship- 
pers. The pangs of such a situation will be made 
more acute, by reflecting on the hallowed motive of 
iTfiany of those who would aim their daggers at your 



27 



$ 



bosom. That like the last of the Romans, they would 
strike, not from hatred to the man, bnt love to the 
country. 

From a knowledge of our own disposition, and pres- 
ent feelings, your Excellency will not be willing to be- 
lieve, that you could ever be brought to commit an act 
of tyranny, or even to execute justice with unnecessary 
vigor. But trust me, sir, that there is nothing more 
corrupting, or more destructive of the finest and no- 
blest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlim- 
ited power. The man who, in the beginning of such a 
career, might shudder at the idea of taking away the 
life of a fellow being, might soon have his conscience 
so seared by the repetition of crime, that the agonies 
of his murdered victims might become music to his soul, 
and the drippings of the scaffold aftbrd "blood enough 
to swim in." History is full of such examples. 

From this disgusting picture, permit me to call the 
attention of your Excellency to one of a difterent char- 
acter. It exhibits you as the constitutional Chief Mag- 
istrate of a free people. Giving to their representa- 
tives the influence of your great name and talents, to 
reform the abuses which in a long reign of tyranny and 
misrule, have fastened upon every branch of the admin- 
istration. The army and its swarm of officers, redu- 
ced within the limits of real usefulness, placed on the 
frontiers, would be no longer permitted to control pub- 
lic opinion, and be the terror of the peaceful citizen. 
By the removal of this incubus from the treasury, and 
the establishment of order, responsibility and economy, 
in the expenditures of the Government, it would soon 
be enabled to dispense with the odious monopolies, and 
the duty of the Alcavala, which have operated with so 
malign an etiect upon commerce and agriculture, and 
indeed, upon the revenues which they were intended 
to augment. No longer oppressed by these shackles, 
industry would every where revive ; the farmer and the 
artizan, cheered by the prospect of ample reward for 



^8 

their labor, would redouble their exertions ; foreigner^^ 
with their capital and their skill in the arts would 
crowd hither, to enjoy the advantage which could 
scarcely, elsewhere, be found ; and Colombia would 
soon exhibit the reality of the beautiful fiction of Fene- 
Ion — Salentum rising from misery and oppression, to 
prosperity and happiness, under the councils and direc- 
tions of the concealed goddess. 

What objection can be urged against this course ? 
Can any one acquainted with the circumstances of the 
country, doubt its success, in restoring and maintaining 
tranquility. The people would certainly not revolt 
against themselves ; and none of the Chiefs who are 
supposed to be factiously inclined, would think of op- 
posing the strength of the nation when directed by 
your talents and authority. But it is said, that the 
want of intelligence amongst the people unfits them for 
their own Government. Is it not right, however, that 
the experiment should be fairly tried ? I have already 
said, that this has not been done. For myself, I do 
not hesitate to declare my firm belief, that it will suc- 
ceed. The people of Colombia possess many traits of 
character, suitable for a republican government. A 
more orderly, forbearing and well disposed people are no 
where to be met with. Indeed, itmay safely be assert- 
ed, that their faults and vices are attributable to the 
cursed Government to which they have been so long 
subjected, and to the intolerant character of the reli- 
gion, whilst their virtues are all their own. But ad- 
mitting their present want of intelhgence, no one has 
ever doubted their capacity to acquire knowledge, and 
under the strong motives which exist, to obtain it, sup- 
ported by the influence of your Excellency, it would 
soon be obtained. 

To yourself the advantage would be as great as to 
the country ; like acts of mercy, the blessings would be 
reciprocal ; your personal happiness secured, and your 
fame elevated to a height which would leave but a 



single competitor in the estimation of posterity^ 
If the fame of our Washington depended upon his 
military achievements, would the common consent of 
the world allow him the pre-eminence he possesses ? 
The victories at Trenton, Monmouth, and York, brill- 
iant as they were, exhibiting as they certainly did, the 
highest grade of military talents, are scarcely thought 
of. The source of the veneration and esteem which is 
entertained for his character, by every description of 
politicians — the monarchist and aristocrat, as well as 
the republican, is to be found in his undeviating and ex- 
clusive devotedness to the interest of his country. No 
selfish consideration was ever suffered to intrude itself 
into his mind. For his country he conquered ; and the 
unrivalled and increasing prosperity of that country is 
constantly adding fresh glory to his name. Geiieral, 
the course which he pursued is open to you, and it de- 
pends upon yourself to attain the eminence which he 
has reached before you. 

To the eyes of military men, the laurels you won on 
the fields of Vargas, Beyaca, and Carcbobo, will be for- 
ever green ; but will that content you ? Are you wil- 
hng that your name should descend to posterity, amongst 
the mass of those whose fame has been derived from 
shedding human blood, without a single advantage to 
the human race ? Or, shall it be united to that of 
Washington, as the founder and the father of a great 
and happy people 1 The choice is before you. The 
friends of liberty throughout the world, and the people 
of the United States in particular, are waiting your de- 
cision with intense anxiety. Alexander toiled and con- 
quered to attain the applause of the Athenians ; will 
you regard as nothing the opinions of a nation which 
has evinced its superiority over that celebrated people, 
in the science most useful to man, by having carried in- 
to actual practice a system of government, of which the 
wisest Athenians had but a glimpse in theory, and con- 
sidered as a blessing never to be realized, however ar- 



30 

dently to be desired ? The place which you are to oc- 
cupy in their esteem depends upon yourself. 

Farewell. 

W. H. HARRISON, 



39 f 1 



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